String-controlled wheeled toy



July 25, 1939. R, Lol-1R sTRmG-coNTRoLLED WHEELED TOY Filed Jan. 3, 1938INVENTOR RAYMUND LOHR ATTORNEYS Patented July 25, 1939 PATENT OFFICESTRING-CONTROLLED WHEELED TOY Raymond Lohr, Erie, Pa., assignor to LouisMarx & Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication January 3,

Claims.

This invention relates to toys, more particularly wheeled toys, andespecially to a self-propelled toy the steering yof which may becontrolled by a string. 5 'Ihe primary object of the invention is togenerally improve Wheeled toys, and to add to the amusement valuethereof. The wheeled toy may simulate a vehicle, or an animal, or thelike, and several examples are disclosed herein. Children enjoy theerratic steering movements which may be obtained under their own directcontrol through the control string, and, inasmuch as the control is bymeans of a very slight and unnoticeable upward movement of the string,the operation is somewhat baffling and mystifying to observers. In thecase of an animal toy simulating, for example, a pet dog, the controlstring may extend to the collar of the toy in simulation of a leash, andthe toy is sensitively guided in one direction or another through thesimulated leash. The foregoing object is fulfilled as follows. The toyis self-propelled by motor driven driving wheels, about which the toybody may oscillate. The toy body is unbalanced and the heavier end 125normally moves tow-ard the ground, where it is supported by suitablemeans during normal running of the toy. The control string is attachedto the heavier end of the toy and extends up- ,wardly far enough to beheld in the hand of a person walking along with the toy. The toy isreadily steerable by`raising the string slightly and thereby elevatingthe heavier end of the toy and the support means from the floor.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and other objects whichwillhereinafter appear, the invention consists in the toy driving,steering, and control elements, and their relation one to the other, ashereinafter are more particularly described in the specification andsought to be dened in the claims. 'Ihe specification is accompanied by adrawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a simulated vehicle toy embodying featuresof the invention;

Fig. 2 is aV bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a partially sectioned side elevation of a simulated animal toyembodying a modied form of the invention; l

Fig. 4 is a section takenin the 'plane of the line 4 4 of Fig. 3; and Yv Fig. 5 is a partially sectioned side elevation ilf lustrating amodified form` of 'the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the illustrated toys comprise driving wheels Ddriven by an appropriate motor generally designated M. A toy body Brismounted on appropriate support means in- 1938, Serial No. 183,071

(Cl. Lliti- 210) cluding the driving wheels D and also including asupport generally designated S, said support being located at theheavier end of the toy and normally resting on the ground duringoperation of the toy. A control string C extends from the 5 heavier endof the toy upwardly far enough to be held in the hand of a personwalking along with the toy. By slightly raising or tensioning thecontrol string, the toy-is oscillated about the driving wheels D, thuslifting the support S from the 10 ground. The toy is then readilysteered in a new direction either by means of special steering wheels orby simply using the string itself to cause a swinging movement of thetoy about the driving wheels D. 515

Considering the toys in greater detail, and referring first to the toyshown in Figs. 1 and 2, the driving wheels D are mounted on an axle I2carried in' a conventional motor frame I4. A winding stem I6 projectsfrom the motor frame? 2o through a suitable opening |-8 in the side wallof the body B. It will be understood that an appropriate driving springis connected to winding stem I6 and that a train of gearing is providedbetween the winding stem and the axle l2, all inr, accordance withconventional practice.

The body B in this case simulates an automobile. The rear or controllingend is the heavier end, and the control string C is attached to thatend. Each end of the toy is provided with a'lo biased axle, as isclearly shown in Fig. 2. The `rear axle 20 and the front axle 22 may besubstantially alike, these carrying freely rotatable wheels 2ll and 26.In the present case, the support of the axles is obtained by simplypassing "i3 A the same through the side walls of the body B.

It will be understood, from inspection of Fig. 2, that the toy will besteered in the direction of the arrow 28 When running on the drivingwheels 'and rear wheels 24, whereas it will be steered in -lo a Whollydifferent direction, specifically, the direction of the arrow 3U, whenrunning on the driving wheels D and the front wheels 26. It will also beseen, from inspection of Fig. 1, that the wheels 26 are elevated abovethe ground when 45 the toy rests on the wheels 24. This is the normalrunning position and is indicated in Fig. 1 by solid lines. When thecontrol string C is elevated, the toy is oscillated about the drivingWheels D from the solid line position to the broken line posi-'5o tion.At this time, the rear wheels 24 are raised from the ground to theposition 24', and the wheels 26 are lowered to rest on the ground asshown at 26. The toy thus follows an erratic course, steering itself toeither the right 01' left, 55

depending upon the operation of the control string C. Inasmuch as themovement of the string and the consequent oscillation of the toy may belimited to a small amount, it is not readily detected, particularly sobecause the toy is observed from above, and the erratic steering actionis both amusing and puzzling to the uninitiated.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, the toy where shown simulates a scottydog. The toy is, in many respects, of already known type, it including apair of preferably fuzzy front paws 32 which project through slots 34 inthe forward end of the toy body, and which are moved by oppositelydirected cranks 36 and 38, at opposite ends of a crankshaft 4G, driventhrough appropriate gearing 42 by the regular driving motor of the toy.Driving wheels D are mounted on an axle M which is also driven by themotor. The motor is a spring motor of conventional type, and need not bedescribed in detail, it being sunicient to say that it may be wound by aconventional winding stem 36, the latter having the usual spiral ribbonspring connected thereto and being geared by appropriate gears to boththe axle 44 and the crankshaft di). It may be mentioned that the frontpaws 32 do not actually move the toy but simply oscillate in ellipticalpaths at a rapid rate so that the toy appears to patter along on theground although the actual propulsion is through the driving wheelsrather than the paws 32.

The toy is unbalanced and the tail end is the heavier end, it normallymoving toward and resting on the ground during operation of the toy. Thesupport means S on which the toy rests may be simple stationary supportssimulating short, stubby rear legs. If desired, they may be made tooscillate back and forth, as is done in certain known toys, but, in suchcase, they do not contribute to the actual drive of the toy, and thebottom surface thereof is made such as to slide readily on the runningsurface 56. It will also be understood that the support S may, ifdesired, take the form of a small idle wheel, thus making the operationsubstantially frictionless.

The toy is controlled by a string C which, in order to give the toy afunny appearance, is attached at the end of a simulated tail 52, thelatter being made of sheet metal xedly secured to the toy body. When thestring is raised, the toy is tilted about the wheels D, thus raising theSupport S from the running surface 5G. At this time, the toy veryreadily swings to one side or another about the driving wheels D, andthe slightest movement of the upper end of the control string causes acomplete change in direction of operation of the toy. By again loweringthe string slightly, the toy rests on support S and runs forwardly inthe normal direction, which may be made straight or curved, as desired.

A modified form of toy simulating a scotty dog is illustrated in Fig. 5.This modification is desirable for purchasers who seek realism ratherthan comical appearance. in this case, the driving wheels are shiftedfrom the forward toward the rear end of the toy. The unbalance of thetoy is such that the head end normally moves downwardly toward therunning surface 5i?. At the forward end, the toy rests on a small,inconspicuous wheel (it, this wheel preferably being located between thefront paws 52, which are rapidly oscillated and reciprocated by crankmechanism 64, just like that described in connection with Fig. 3. Boththe driving wheel axle S55 and the crank 6d are driven by conventionalspring motor mechanism the winding stem of which is indicated at S8.

Here again, the control string is attached to the heavier end of the toyand a realistic appearance is obtained by treating the string as aleash, the lower end of the string being connected to a simulated collar10 on the neck of the dog. The tail 'l2 may, in this case, be made offabric or other exible material capable of wagging during operation ofthe toy.

It is believed that the operation of the toy will be understood from thedescription heretofore given. The toy normally runs along on the drivingwheels D and the front wheel 60. The paws 62 appear to patter along asthe toy runs along the surface 50. The normal direction of operation ispreferably straight, but it may be curved, as by giving the front wheel69 an angular position. Whenever it is desired to change the directionof the toy, the child simply tensions the string somewhat, thuselevating the wheel SEI slightly from the ground, whereupon the toyswings to one side or the other under the control of the string. 'Iheamount of string movement needed for control of the toy is very slightand the operation of the toy is, therefore, not at all apparent to thosewatching the same.

It is believed that the construction and operation, as well as the manyadvantages of the toys embodying the present invention, will be apparentfrom the foregoing detailed description thereof. It will also beapparent that, while I have shown and described the invention inpreferred forms, many changes and modifications may be made in thestructures disclosed without departing from the spirit of the inventiondefined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A self-propelled wheeled toy comprising a driving wheel, a motor fordriving continuously said wheel in one direction, a toy body, said bodybeing permanently unbalanced toward one end so that the heavier endnormally moves toward the door, means supporting the heavier end, acontrol string attached to the heavier end and extending upwardly farenough to be held in the hand of a person walking along with the toy,whereby said toy is readily steerable by raising the string and therebyelevating the support means from the floor.

2. A self-propelled wheeled toy comprising driving wheels remainingconstantly on the oor, a spring motor for continuously driving saidwheels in one direction, a toy body carried by the wheels, said bodybeing permanently unbalanced toward one end so that the heavier endnormally moves toward the floor, means supporting the heavier end, acontrol string attached to the heavier end and extending upwardly farenough to be held in the hand of a person walking along with the toy,whereby said toy is readily steerable by raising the string and therebyelevating the support means from the floor.

3. A self-propelled wheeled toy comprising a driving wheel, a motor forcontinuously driving said wheel in one direction, a toy body, said bodybeing permanently unbalanced toward one end so that the heavier endnormally moves toward the ground, support means on which the heavier endrests during normal running of the toy, a steering wheel at the oppositeend of the toy, said latter steering wheel being turned in a differentdirection and being normally elevated from the ground, a control stringattached to the heavier end and extending upwardly far enough to be heldin the hand of a person walking along with the toy, whereby said toy isreadily steerable by raising the string and thereby elevating theheavier end of the toy until the toy runs on the steering wheel at thelighter end.

4. A self-propelled wheeled toy comprising a driving wheel, a motor forcontinuously driving said wheel in one direction, a toy body, said bodybeing permanently unbalanced toward one end so that the heavier endnormally moves toward the ground, a steering wheel on which the heavierend rests during normal running of the toy, a steering wheel at theopposite end of the toy, said latter steering wheel being turned in adiierent direction and being normally elevated from. the ground, acontrol string attached to the heavier end and extending upwardly farenough to be held in the hand of a person walking along with the toy,whereby said toy is readily steerable by raising the string and therebyelevating the heavier end of the toy, so tha-t the toy runs on thesteering wheel at the lighter end instead of the steering wheel at theheavier end.

5. A self-propelled wheeled toy comprising driving wheels remainingconstantly on the ground, `a spring motor for continuously driving saidwheels in one direction, a toy body carried by the wheels, said bodybeing permanently unbalanced toward one end so that the heavier endnormally moves toward the ground, a steering wheel on which the heavierend rests during normal running of the toy, a steering wheel at theopposite end of the toy, said latter steering wheel being turned in adifferent direction and being normally elevated from the ground, a con'trol string attached to the heavier end and eX- tending upwardly farenough to be held in the hand of a person walking along with the toy,whereby said toy is readily steerable by raising the string and therebyelevating the heavier end of the toy, so that the toy runs on thesteering wheel at the lighter end instead of the steering f wheel at theheavier end.

6. A self-propelled wheeled toy comprising a drivingwheel, a sprin-gmotor for continuously driving said wheel in one direction, a toy animalbody carried by the wheel, simulated legs on said body, the body beingpermanently unbalanced so that one end normally moves toward `theground, means supporting the heavier end, a control string attached tothe heavier end and extending upwardly far enough to be held in the handof a person walking along with the toy, vwhereby said toy is readilysteerable by raising the string and thereby elevating the support meansfrom the ground.

7. A self-propelled wheeled toy comprising a driving wheel, a motor forcontinuously driving said wheel in one direction, a toy animal bodycarried by the wheel, a pair of paws projecting forwardly from the body,means within the body actuated by the motor for moving said paws in alifelike manner, the body being permanently unbalanced so that theheavier end normally moves toward the oor, means supporting the heavierend, a control string attached to the heavier e-nd and extendingupwardly far enough to be held in the hand of a person walking alongwith the toy, whereby said toy is readily steerable by raising thestring and thereby elevating the support means from the floor.

8. A self-propelled wheeled toy comprising driving wheels remainingconstantly on the ground, a spring motor for continuously driving saidwheels in one direction, a toy animal body carried by the wheels, a tailprojecting at the end of the body, a pair of dummy paws projectingforwardly from the body above the ground, crank means within the bodyactuated by the spring motor for moving said paws in a lifelike manner,the body being so unbalanced that the tail end normally moves toward theground, means supporting the heavier end, a control string attached tothe tail and extending upwardly far enough to be held in the hand of aperson walking along with the toy, whereby said toy is readily steerableby raising the string and thereby elevating the support means from theground.

9. A self-propelled wheeled toy comprising a driving wheel, a motor forcontinuously driving said wheel in one direction, a toy animal bodycarried by the; wheel, a pair of paws projecting forwardly from thebody, means within the body actuatedY by the motor for moving said pawsin a life-like manner, the body being permanently unbalanced so that thehead end normally moves toward the iloor, a control string attachedv tothe head end and extending upwardly far enough to be held in the hand ofa person walking along with the toy, whereby said toy is readilysteerable by raising the string, and thereby elevating the head end ofthe toy.

l0. AV self-propelled wheeled toy comprising driving wheels remainingconstantly on the ground, a spring motor for continuously driving saidwheels in one direction, a toy animal body carried by the'wheels, a pairof dummy, paws projecting forwardly from the body above the ground,crank means within the body actuated by the spring motor for moving saidpaws in a lifelike manner, the body being permanently unbalanced so thatthe head end normally moves toward the ground, a guide wheel near thefront end of the toy, a control string attached at the collar of theanimal and extending upwardly far enough to' be held in the hand of aperson walking along with the toy, whereby said toy is yreadilysteerable by raising the string, and thereby elevating the guide wheelfrom the ground.

' RAYMOND LOI-1R.

